Game 3, Carlsen-Anand, Drawn After 51 Moves - UPDATE: VIDEO

The third game of the World Championship match in Chennai between Magnus Carlsen, playing the white pieces, and Viswanathan Anand ended in a draw after 51 moves. With Garry Kasparov among the spectators, Carlsen was under pressure but just before the time control he escaped. The score is 1.5-1.5, with 9 more games to go.

With an exciting game that went on beyond the first time control, the World Championship match in Chennai has finally started for real. Again, the defending champion didn't have problems out of the opening and even got a better position when he could push his opponent's queen to the corner.

VIDEO

Carlsen played the same as in his first white game, and with 3.c4 he made it a proper Réti Opening. However, the 22-year-old Norwegian didn't manage to get an advantage. On the contrary: at some point Black had more space, and the bishop pair.

Later on, Anand could win a pawn, but he felt that the compensation for his opponent would be sufficient. Just before the time control, when his queen got back into play, Carlsen could equalize the position. He even declined a draw offer on move 40, even though the game was a dead draw by then.

"I made a couple of misjudgements in the middlegame. My position was worse and I probably made it even worse. (...) I'm happy to survive. (...) It looked scary."

Carlsen: "It looked scary."

Carlsen also revealed that he wasn't one hundred percent relaxed during the game, and he felt his opponent wasn't either. "I think it was good to get the match going a little bit. I guess both of us were a bit nervous today. (...) There was some tension, both on the board and some nerves as well. But really that's what it's all about."

Despite having the two bishops, Anand didn't feel his advantage was big. "White's control of the a-file generates enough counterplay."

One of the spectators in the playing hall during the third game was the 13th World Champion, who arrived in Chennai on Monday night. According to this report he was "ignored" by the organizers. However, at the start of the round Garry Kasparov was sitting next to and chatting with FIDE Vice President and chief organizer D.V. Sunar, so perhaps the relations weren't so bad after all.

However, during the game it became clear that Kasparov had not been given access to the press room (from where he could have given a press release), and he wasn't welcome to join the commentators either. Perhaps the latter would have been a bit too much, since Kasparov is a clear supporter of Carlsen, but it's clear that all 150 journalists present would have loved have a press conference. But FIDE didn't like the idea.

During the press conference, the journalists were trying hard to provoke a statement from the players about Kasparov's visit, but they didn't really succeed. Carlsen said: "I haven't seen him here yet I think it's good that one of the legends of the game is here to watch the match. It gives an extra dimension in a way."

A Norwegian journalist asked Anand what he thought about Kasparov being "in the building" (no doubt referring to last year's statements by Kasparov about Anand). The Indian replied: "Like Elvis? Well, it's good that he's here to watch."

Anand: "Like Elvis?"

"Are you sure?" the journalist asked. "Sure." When Carlsen was getting the question again, he said: "I don't want to get into politics. I think he deserves to be treated with respect, regardless that he is opposing Kirsan [Ilyumzhinov] as a Presidential Candidate."

About his stay in India so far, Carlsen was very positive. "I think it's been better than expected. I'm being treated so well and I am very grateful for that. Whatever happens in the match, that's not going to be an issue."

Don't get me wrong, I'm supporting Anand to win all the way. I think he is the quintessential World Champion and a brilliant role model for many young chess players. This takes nothing away from the fact that Carlsen is a masterful chess player and a very deserving chalenger for the title who has acheived the highest rating in the game we all love. I will not grumble if he wins.

I absolutely adore this competition of great minds in the WCC, I just don't like the conflict that it seems to bring out of people who feel that you have to be on one side or another. If not bashing a particular player then it is too many draws. if not too many draws then the location is not good enough or the commentary is poor.

I just dislike the senseless arguing over questions that don't really have definitive answers. Here's hoping for a decisive game soon (but I'll be perfectly happy with a well played draw)

"The challenger’s opinion on the king and his giant ego? "I don’t think Kasparov wants to be seen as arrogant, it’s just a matter of being super-confident. But Kasparov, the chess player, cannot separate himself from Kasparov, the human being." In that respect, feels Anand, Kasparov and American genius Bobby Fischer share some traits. Chess is the be-all and end-all of their existence. "You bring to chess facets of your personality and what you are. I have interests other than chess, like music and world and current affairs. I also have many friends around the world with whom I like to keep in touch. "

Perhaps it is the very fact that Anand is not unidimensional and tunnel-visioned which makes him that much more sore over Kasparov’s petulant reaction to his stunning defeat in the ninth game. "I remember after winning that game I told the chief arbiter that I had pulled the whiskers of a tiger." It rang true. Kasparov did return with a roar. And in more ways than one.

"Till then we were polite and courteousto each other. But in the 10th game he turned incredibly rude. What was the need to slam down pieces and bang the door every time he went in and out of the room? His behaviour was atrocious. Ironically, he had the upper hand early in the game and there was no reason to act in that manner." And though Anand asserts he returned to nor-mal by the end of the game, he still holds the view that players should have more respect for one another."

@MarcokimI like how instead of responding to any of his criticizms about your article you just attacked him as a person. How is any of what you said relevant to how good your article is? The worst part is you cap off your statement with "nothing personal". Class act.

This is really absurd judgment based on your own imagination.. The truth is completly the opposite of your statements.. Do you think that when we put some position (a mating pattern for exemple) in front of a let's say a GM, do you think that he will use memory to trying to find where this position was played ? and how X solved it in 1874 ??.. Are you retarded ??.. True Memorization is so crucial especially when you play in high level, but it's never sufficient to win games..

Before being disrespectful about YOUR GOD OF CHESS, better you should care about your rating of apes.. When I started playing chess 2 years ago I was already +1200 in my first week..

You are really pathetic..

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Mr. GM Am1n3

1. You clearly didn't understand my article.

2. Your problem with "my rating" is irrelevant, i am a teacher and I share this handle with more than 10 students for legal-age purposes (our state law doesn't allow 12yr olds to open their own internet identities)

3. The point I am making is that all masters have great photo-memory and Fischer was very hypocritical given that he could recall thousands of games and positions. He was also the most studied GM of his time.

4. We live in a culture where we want instant results and top level chess has smaller margins for advantage than we can stand.

5. The internet, live commentary and live analysis doesn't help either.

6. 70% of GM games end in draws (at least at the top level) and this has been the case for 100yrs

7. Its better that we switch off, go about our lives and then check the results every 5games or so, then analyse them together.

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